For who can be secure of private right,
If sovereign sway may be dissolved by might?
Nor is the people's judgement always true:
The most may err as grossly as the few.

John Dryden

Absalom and Achitophel

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More information about this quote

Topic

The masses Rule of law Democracy

Author

John Dryden

Source

Absalom and Achitophel

Medium

Poem

Genre

Satire

Language

English

Time

1681 1680s 17th century

Occupation

Poet Writer

From

United Kingdom Europe

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Dryden, John. Absalom and Achitophel. London: Jacob Tonson, 1681, pt. 1, I. 779.

Current Citation

Dryden, John. "Absalom and Achitophel." John Dryden Selected Poems. Penguin Classics, 2002, pt. 1, I. 779.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by John Dryden about the masses: “For who can be secure of private right, If sovereign sway may be dissolved…”
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A quote by John Dryden about the masses: “For who can be secure of private right, If sovereign sway may be dissolved…”
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A quote by John Dryden about the masses: “For who can be secure of private right, If sovereign sway may be dissolved…”
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Related Quotes

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Another quote from the 1680s

The old pond-
A frog leaps in,
And a splash.

Matsuo Basho

More information about this quote
Topic
Nature scene

Author

Matsuo Basho
Medium
Haiku Poem
Language
Japanese
Time
1686 1680s 17th century
Authentication Score 3
Original Citation

Basho, Matsuo. Haiku. c. 1686.

Current Citation

Basho, Matsuo. Basho: The Complete Haiku, translated by Jane Reichhold. Kodansha International, 2013.

Another quote about The masses

He’s loved of the distracted multitude,
Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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More information about this quote
Topic
The masses Public opinion
Speaker
King Claudius

Author

William Shakespeare
Source
Hamlet
Medium
Play
Genre
Tragedy (play)
Language
English
Time
1616 1610s 17th century
Era
European Renaissance
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 4, sc. 3.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 4, sc. 3.